Sons of Norway Granlund Lodge #240 Celebrates 96th Anniversary

During the August 8, monthly meeting of the Sons of Norway Granlund Lodge, President Wes Roland provided a power-point presentation covering the history of the lodge which began in Gonvick, Minnesota in 1923, with Olav Rendal being the organizer.  There were 33 members at that time.  Wes provided the following information and gave credit to Carol Wold for gathering much of the information over the years.  

The Granlund Lodge was very active until the 1950’s when the membership began to decline for some reason and eventually became inactive.  The lodge was revived in 1970, when Maynard Troland, a Field Representative of SON living in the area and Carrol Juven, Regional Manager from Fargo, assisted in the reorganization.  The Supreme Lodge of the Sons of Norway International approved the transfer of Granlund Lodge #240 from Gonvick to Fosston where it serves an area of a 30 mile radius.  A reorganization banquet was held on September 28, 1970, at the Fosston Civic Center where 180 members were received into the Lodge.  At one time in that period the lodge had over 300 members!  The meetings were held at various locations in the area for a number of years until 1982 when it was decided to hold the meetings at the Embassy Center in Fosston and continues with that location today.  The current membership stands at 50 with members coming from Fosston, Erskine, Gonvick, Bemidji, Bagley, Gully, Trail, Oklee, Thief River Falls, Mentor and Winger.  

The actual Sons of Norway organization came into being on January 16, 1895, when eighteen men on the north side of Minneapolis formed the first chapter.  The purposes and goals of the Founders were to protect members of Sons of Norway and their families from the financial hardships experienced during times of sickness or death in the family.  Over time, the mission of Sons of Norway has expanded to include the preservation of Norwegian heritage and culture in our society.  The organization has grown since the beginning and there are currently 8 worldwide Districts, Norway being #8, with a total membership of about 64,186 and 412 lodges worldwide!  

The Granlund Lodge holds meetings on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 at the Embassy Center.  Programs follow the business meeting and there’s always a variety of food and treats before the program which usually begins around 7:30.  Guests are always welcome for the meetings and programs that include a variety of topics and entertainment.  Coming up on September 12, is Scandinavian Fun with Cindy Kolling and on October 10th is the Annual Torsk and Meatball Dinner.  Memberships are encouraged to anyone who is Norsk or just interested in all things Norsk to carry on the rich Norwegian Heritage in the area. For more information, contact Wes Roland at 435-1230.